The Forbes 400 Hall Of Fame: 36 Members Of Our Debut Issue Still In Ranks

Forbes published its first ever authoritative list documenting the 400 wealthiest Americans in 1982. Few of today’s readers would likely remember the gentleman who topped the original list: Daniel Keith Ludwig, with a $2 billion fortune, or about $4.8 in today’s dollars. Press-shy Ludwig ran a shipping outfit that built tankers for the US during World War II and is credited with creating the first supertanker.

But there were plenty of other people on that first list who readers will remember instantly. The second youngest person on the first ever Forbes 400 was Apple’s legendary cofounder Steve Jobs , then just 27, described in his bio as a “computer freak” worth upwards of $100 million. Sam Walton, the iconic founder of Wal-Mart, appeared with a net worth of $690 million (today 6 Walton members worth a total of $116 billion have spots in the rankings). So too did Leslie Hope, better known as Bob Hope, the only entertainer on the list, with $280 million to his name. All three of these folks are gone, but there are 36 members from that debut issue who still rank among America's 400 Richest. The main difference is that they are much older, and yes, much richer. Back then the 36 Hall of Famers were worth an average $359 million, or $1.4 billion in today's dollars. Today the group, which includes Donald Trump, George Lucas and Nike's Phil Knight, has an average net worth of $7.1 billion.

Below is the complete list (in alphabetical order) of the original 36 still in our ranks, with their 1982 and 2012 net worths.